To be an Alchemist of the State
by Prideful Homunculus
Summary: Yamato's goal in life was to join the military as a State Alchemist. After an argument with his step-father, he runs away. He then meets a strange girl, who claims to be a homunculus. He makes a deal with this girl, she'll help him achieve his goal if he makes her human in return. Post Brotherhood, with elements from the 2003 anime and Brotherhood. Accepting OCs
1. Promise

There was shouting, yelling and the sound of a chair being thrown against a wall. I had finally had it, I jumped out the window and ran, taking only one look back at the single floor house. Arguments were a normal occurrence between my step-father and I. My goal in life is to serve Amestris as a State Alchemist, my mother's husband wanted me to take after him and take over his shop. My mother would normally just quietly watch, knowing that she couldn't do anything to stop us. This latest argument went farther than all the other ones before it. When he claimed that I'd be marching to my death like my biological father, who died the day I was born. I threw a chair at him, before running down the hall and jumping through a closed window, sending glass everywhere, and I was finally free. I took off down the back roads of my home city, Liore. All I took with me was the clothes that I was wearing, a black shirt and jeans, and a book on Alchemy. It was written by the Elric Brothers, and covers all the fundamentals of Alchemy, including a new theory developed specifically by the 2. That aside, I'll introduce myself. My name is Yamato Kokaonüsse and I'm 15 years old. I have brown eyes, brown hair, pale skin and I'm about 5'5".

Continuing my run through several alleyways, I reached my destination of choice, an abandoned church that was once used to worship Leto during the time when Father Cornello led the church with his fake miracles. I pulled a pair of gloves out of my pocket. They both had an identical transmutation circle sewed into its palm. Each consisting of 2 triangles that faced opposite directions, the triangle that pointed towards my fingers overlapping the other, a line from each corner of the topmost triangle led towards a small circle in the very center, inside of that is an eight sided star, a circle that touched every point on the triangles, a second circle that surrounded the other, 6 smaller triangles that pointed towards the center of the circle and symbols around the 2nd largest ring. I checked to see if anybody could see me. Luckily, it was evening and few people were out in the desert town, none of which we even paying me any mind. I clapped my hands together and slammed them against the church's wall, creating 2 thick doors.

I slipped inside, closing the doors behind me. It had succumbed to years of misuse and lack of maintenance. The walls were beginning to breakdown, part of the roof had crumbled away. Against the wall, across the room from where I had entered, stood a statue of Leto that was missing its head. I walked up to the statue, and using some of the debris around it and the bit of the wall behind it, I transmuted a new head on the statue. This place had become somewhat of a hideout for me. As I got older, I found myself spending more and more time here, usually rereading this book of mine. I've dreamed of becoming a State Alchemist for most of my life, despite most people not liking my choice of career. The job has become better in the past few years, with less killing and wars since Führer Mustang took power. "Hello!" I heard a girl excitedly shout. My head shot in her direction.

"Um… hi," I quietly replied. Most of the time, only curious children and I come to this place. I've never seen her before in my life. She had blonde hair that was tied up in twin tails and reached halfway down her back. She was about the same height as me, and she wore a high collared, tight button up shirt. This was accompanied by a black pleated skirt with skin-tight thigh-length shorts on underneath. She also wore black platform boots and strange target markings that stopped at her elbows. The irises of her eyes were black. She was a few feet from me, which surprised me that I didn't notice. Usually, I'm much more cautious of my surroundings, but I didn't even hear any footsteps.

"Tell me, why has an alchemist like yourself come to this beat-up old place?" She asked. "I thought that all the locals hated this place."

"All of them do, except for me. This place caused a battle here about 16 years back. I come here, because I like the _quiet_." I replied.

"Yeah, I can see why. I've been here for a week and you're the only person I've seen thus far." It was apparent that the hint went right over her head.

"I've answered your question. Now tell me, why are you here?"

"Because I don't have a home… What about you? It's getting late and here you are. It'll be too dark to read here at night." She stated, suddenly getting defensive.

"I needed to get away."

"So what? Are you a runaway or something?" It was an interesting question.

"I guess that's what you could call me..."

"Hah, a runaway alchemist." She laughed. "And just what do you hope to achieve with your new life as a runaway?"

"_This girl is really getting annoying."_ I thought, beginning to become irritated by the loud girl berating me. "I don't have to tell you that."

"Oh and why is that? Didn't think that far ahead, did you?"

"I have long since decided to become a State Alchemist, and that's what I'll do!"

"An Alchemist of the State, huh? Now you've got my interest. I'd like your help."

"You were just acting like that, and now you want my help? What the hell?"

"It's more like a deal. I'll help you become a State Alchemist if you help me in return."

"What kind of help?"

"I'll tell you, if you accept."

_"She is being really difficult. But if I want a chance, she may be of use. That is, if she has anything good to bring to the table._" I thought, before an idea popped into my head. "If I'm to accept, you're going to have to prove yourself of use." I suggested. "How are you going to help me achieve my goal?" She smiled at the question.

"I was hoping that you'd ask that." She stated. Red electricity began to jump in her hand, as a blade grew out of the palm of her hand. No transmutation circles or even so much as a gesture, and this blade had erupted out of her hand! It's an alchemy of which I've never seen before! It took me a moment to realize that my jaw was hanging open, and I immediately closed my mouth. "If I win, you must accept. If I lose, I'll answer all your questions and then leave the choice up to you. Now get yourself a weapon, before I grow impatient." I put my hands on the ground, and a sword began to take shape. It was a one-sided sword that was about as long as my arm and curved slightly towards the back of the blade. A snake coiled around the grip, appearing to rest its head on the blade. I removed the sword from the ground, giving it a test swing. Its center of gravity was lower than I intended, but other than that it was just fine. She took that as a sign that I was ready and attacked. She was bringing her arm blade down towards my left shoulder. I sidestepped the swing, and swung at her head with the back of the blade. She ducked under the attack and then did something I never expected. She head-butted me in the chest, with a surprising amount of force. The blow knocked the air out of my lungs sending me staggering back, coughing and wheezing. She placed her weapon on the back of my neck. "I win." She declared, before the blade disappeared. She wiped the floor with me in only a few seconds. I took a moment to regain my breath before putting the sword I made back into the floor.

"Alright, you win. Just tell me, what the heck was that?" I asked, taking off my gloves and putting them in my pockets.

"Maybe it was alchemy, maybe it wasn't. I'll tell you, once I know that you won't bail."

"I'm a man of my word, and therefore I accept your deal."

"Then I'll be telling you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow, see you then." She turned and began to walk away, disappearing deeper into the church. As she was doing so, I noticed something strange. On the back of her neck, there was a tattoo of a serpent eating its own tail. I know I had seen it before.

"_Maybe it is alchemy related…" _I suggested, opening my book. I skimmed over the hardcover, looking to see if the symbol lay within its pages. Around the three fourths mark, I found it. It was called the Ouroboros, or he who eats his own tail, and is found on all Homunculi. I didn't read the Homunculus part of this book, it seemed to be a bunch of nonsense at first glance. They were described as soulless beings created through alchemy. The pages gave signs as to what to look for in a homunculus; such as the mark of the Ouroboros, and there being a Philosopher's Stone at their core. As for their capabilities, it read along the lines of them not having a soul, allowing them to transform their bodies in ways not possible for normal humans. So far, she fits the description and explains the whole blade in the arm thing, although I'm a bit hesitant to rip open her chest and see if she has a heart or not. "What the hell did I just get myself into?" I asked aloud.

* * *

**Hello, this is my first FMA story so be nice. The OC form is below, please send it through pm. I will not accept any that are put in the reviews section. You have been warned. **

· Name

· Gender:

· Age:

· Appearance:

· Job:

· If military, rank:

· Is an alchemist:

· If alchemist, style of Alchemy:

· Personality:

· History:

· Likes:

· Dislikes:

· Fear:

· Any additional Information:


	2. Memories

Loud screaming filled the air. I was surrounded by the faces that were making the noise. Each was unremarkable and looked almost exactly like the others. They distorted and flowed around me like an ocean current, screaming about their pain, about how they wished to escape from this living hell. I knew this place far too well for my liking. It has been in my memories long enough for me to consider it one of my first. No matter how familiar with this memory I got, I still couldn't stand it. I felt like my very being was being deconstructed. It felt as though my body were there, except I couldn't see my hand as I attempted to wave it in front of my face. My head would begin to ache, my heart felt heavy and made me wish to rip it out to remove the pain. I yelled for my release from this place, hoping that someone would free me. With no response other than more screams from the voices around me, I ran in one direction, trying to find a way out. I never had any luck in the past, instead being greeted by the endless cries of voices. This time was different though, I could see a blonde man among the voices. They flowed around him, acting as though he didn't exist. I moved towards him but before I could get even remotely close to him, he looked over at me and showed me a disturbing grin.

* * *

I shot up, out of my slumber, and smacked my head against the dome I had created around me last night. I hadn't had that dream since I was little. It's like a memory that don't remember when it was created. I rubbed my temple until my head stopped hurting and slipped on my gloves and deconstructed it. I was greeted by the possible Homunculus staring at me with a mixture of confusion and maybe irritation.

"What were you yelling about?" She asked bluntly.

"Just a bad dream…" I replied, rubbing my eyes. "Putting that aside, I have some questions for you."

"Hmm…?"

"Explain yourself, Homunculus." I replied, matching the tone of her earlier question.

"It took you till now to figure it out?"

"Last night, hence the dome…" I decided that matching her attitude would be no help, using a more professional tone instead. "I don't particularly care that if you're a Homunculus or not. I'd rather know what it is you want in return."

"Simple, I want to be human." She replied, twirling some strands of her blonde hair around her index finger.

"Human?" I repeated, unsure if I heard her properly. I don't really see a reason for her to want to be human. "Why?" She stopped messing with her hair, and smacked her palm against her forehead.

"My reasons are my own. I'd prefer if we worked on making you into a State Alchemist _before _I explain my reasons." She replied, through clenched teeth. It seemed as though I may have hit a nerve. I don't particularly want to anger her any, especially if means her attitude would become even worse than it currently is.

"So you don't trust me? At least the feeling's mutual." I stated with a silent chuckle. "Lack of trust aside, I can begin taking a look into any way to-"

"Focus on the task at hand. We have a month to prepare you for the Exam." She did have a point, as much as the thought of being indebted to her makes me sick. I don't have much time to prepare. I'm going to need to make the most of my time if I'm going to get certified.

"Alright… wait, I never got your name." I stated realizing this fact.

"Call me Felicia Schwartz. And I was never informed of your name." She replied in a practiced tone.

"Yamato Kokaonüsse is what I go by." I told her, monotonously.

"Yamato?" She repeated. I'm almost certain she was silencing a laugh.

"Yeah, my godfather's from Xing." I specified. "If you're done laughing at my name, could you tell me what you have in mind?" I was interested as to what she had in mind. From what I understand about her now, I won't like it.

"Follow me," She instructed, leading me further into the church. She led down multiple hallways, each had white walls with wooden beams at regular intervals. She led me to a large room with a high room. There was a platform, which had steps on both sides leading towards higher platforms, as well as the ground. Rusted railing was situated to stop somebody from jumping from the raised area, which was situated well above the ground. There were oil lamps hung about the yellow brick walls, unused for a long time. A few portions of ceiling had crumbled to earth, the largest hole sat right in the middle of the roof, creating a spot like of sorts in the center of the floor. The only thing in the room was a small wall with many little holes in it, sitting in a small crater that was adorned with similar holes. It looked to be constructed using alchemy in a fight.

"So?" I asked expectantly. She responded by extending a sharp blade out of her outer forearm, which curved back towards her elbow. It had several holes along the inner edge, which increased in size as they were placed closer to her arm. The blade was white, and turned an extremely pale yellow near the tip of the blade.

"We're going to fight." She stated, inspecting the edge.

"Huh?" I didn't know why she chose this. She kicked my butt pretty soundly last time. I don't think I'd have much chance against her.

"Must I explain everything? If we spar regularly, we'll be getting the physical training and practical uses for alchemy down at the same time. And let's just face it, you're a pretty awful fighter."

"Thanks, that really boosts my confidence." I sarcastically replied. I took the steps down to the shorter platform, and jumped the railing. It was less than half the height of the other, so I landed without injury. I slipped on my gloves and backed away from the outlook, placing myself halfway between the stairs and the hole riddled wall. Without a word, she launched herself over the railing on the highest outlook and aimed herself towards me. I put my hands on the floor, causing a massive serpent to rise out of the ground, jaw agape in an attempt to intercept the Homunculus plummeting towards me. She caught herself on the snake's fangs and jumped out of the side of its mouth, sliding down the side of the serpent. I transmuted many smaller serpents that ascended upwards, along the original snake. They twisted around each other as the countless snakes attempted to strike Felicia. She barely avoided the serpents and using her arm blades, she sliced a serpent that would have gotten to her.

I knew that I'd have to fight her in close combat. So I transmuted two swords from the ground and took one in each hand. The one in my right hand was the length of my arm and was a thin one-sided blade. The other one was exactly the same as the first, except it was half its length. I turned my body to the side, placing my left hand palm down in front of my right shoulder and holding my right in out to the side with both of the blades pointed ahead of me. As soon as she had landed, she was on me. Once she was within range, she swung her right arm blade towards my chest. It was only pure reaction that allowed me to block it with my right sword. She spun around, bringing her other blade in the direction of my neck. I had to cross my arms in order to block the attack with the shorter sword. I withdrew from the clash and went on the offensive, swinging the dull end of the blade towards her torso. In this motion it occurred to me that I was about to hit a girl. _"A girl. She may be a Homunculus but I should know better than this."_ I mentally reprimanded myself, as I stopped the attack. Felicia just kicked me in the side, sending me towards the ground. I at her face, which showed a lack of expression.

"Chivalry isn't going to do get you far as a State Alchemist. Neither is using the back of your swords." She stated. She retracted the blades and held out her right arm in front of me. There was a large wound across the side of her arm, where the weapon once existed. Then red lightning jumped from the skin around the wound and the flesh grew back in a matter of seconds. "Homunculi are capable of high-speed regeneration, so you can't really harm me. Now if that helps any, try taking this _seriously_."

"I am taking this seriously, but I was raised on the terms that I'm not to hit a girl and I don't wish to." I responded, getting to my feet.

"If you're serious about become an Alchemist of the State, abandon your morals. You need only to follow their orders. That is what it means to be a dog of the military." She commanded, imitating a General.

"What makes you think that's what it means to be a State Alchemist? Is that why you think I want to join, to be a mindless slave? I joined to help our country and its people. So where do _you _get this 'knowledge' from?" I snapped at her. She didn't give any snide reply. The color drained from her face, and for a second she looked as though she might pass out. "Well?" I asked, expecting an answer. She didn't speak. I actually got a little worried for her. "Fine… I keep training, but I'm not hitting you." I sighed in resignation.

"Actually, I just remembered something I have to take care of. So, I'll be back in a little." She stated. Without another word, she left through the door she dragged me through.

_"I severely hope that she won't always be so difficult."_ I thought, going to grab my book from its spot on the floor. I wiped off the dirt and flipped to a certain page in my book, at reached the beginning of a new chapter. It was one of the few chapters I haven't read yet. I don't understand why I haven't read it before thought, it had amazing concepts that I've never seen with the likes of alchemy before. As I read it, I became more engrossed in the theories that were written on the page. The theory that really caught my attention, was created by the Elrics themselves. In simplest terms, it's like taking 10 and giving back 11, you add a bit of yourself to it. It's like an artist putting their blood into one of their paintings. What I don't understand is, how does one do this with Alchemy? I don't like the thought of cutting myself every time I perform a transmutation. _"Maybe if I read some more in this chapter, I'll find an answer."_ I suggested. _"Or I could just 'visit' the Elrics and see if they have an answer."_ I silently joked. _"Felicia went out for some reason, so at least I don't have to deal with her. But, I wonder why. Maybe what I said earlier hurt her more than I thought."_ I violently shook my head, trying to rid myself of these thoughts. _"Jeez, you're worried about her. It's obvious that she doesn't care what other people say. What does my opinion matter to her, anyway?"_ My thoughts were interrupted by my stomach growling. "I haven't eaten since yesterday… I should get something to eat." I closed my book and carrying it with me, I exited through the same way that I arrived through, the day before.

I felt around in my pocket as I pushed open the doors that I had transmuted into the wall yesterday. I had a little money, enough for some food. I began to walk down the street in search of a place to eat, only to be stopped by the sound of a person speaking in the alley by the church. I looked down the alley to find Felicia sitting with her back against the wall and her hand on her face. She was grumbling to herself, something about annoying voices. She was probably talking about the people that walked up and down the street. "What are you doing?" She asked in an irritated tone, once she noticed me.

"I was going to get something to eat." I replied. "You can come along if you like."

"Homunculi don't need to eat." She stated bluntly.

"Suit yourself."

* * *

I had eaten my fill at a nearby restaurant. It wasn't half bad, despite its fairly low price. I followed the street I that led back to the church. I didn't get very far before I was stopped by a voice calling my name. I turned to find my mother running after me. She stopped a couple feet from me. "Yamato, there you are. It's time for you to come back home." She commanded in the gentle tone that I've always known her to have.

"No," I replied. "I'm going to join the military. I have a chance and I'm not going to let it pass me by. I'm not going to waste my life waiting to take up a profession I have no interest in. I'm going, nothing you or _he_ says will change that." She gave a sad smile.

"Yep, you're your father's son alright." She stated sullenly. "Your father said something remarkably similar to that all those years ago. You two are more alike than you'll ever know." I saw a tear escape from her eye.

"That's where you're wrong. I don't intend to die." I gave her a short hug. "I'll do my _real _dad proud." I promised, ending the hug. I was about to leave, when she grabbed my arm and placed an envelope in my hand. "What's this?" I asked, inspecting the envelope as though I had never seen one before.

"Just in case I couldn't convince you otherwise, I wrote this up." She responded. "I have an old friend in Central City. You'll know who she is when you see her."

"Thanks mom…"

"Wait, one more thing." She reached into her purse and pulled out some Cenz. "It's not much, but it should be more than enough for a train ticket…. Just please, come back and visit us sometime."

"I love you, mom."

"I love you too, and good luck."


	3. Progress

Felicia brought her right arm in a downward strike. I took a step back out of its range, the thighbone like weapon Felicia wielded cutting through the air where my head once was. I'm finally getting to the point where I can keep up with her inhuman speed and strength. She swung horizontally with her left arm, which had a similar weapon protruding from her palm. I blocked it with the sword in my right hand, struggling against the force of the assault. She tried to hit me with her other arm, only to have it blocked at the last second. We were at deadlocked, which usually don't end well for me. I heard a sound akin to electricity from Felicia's left arm. I looked over to see that her weapon had grown a knee like hinge, with a shinbone attached to it. The extension to her weapon repeatedly smacked itself against my sword. I turned back to her, finding myself uncomfortably close to Felicia's face. Then she did something I should have seen coming, she head-butted me in the face. I stumbled back, a bit dazed. I took my remaining sword in both hands, adapting a high guard since Felicia having taken the one that I held in my right hand. She brought the longer of her 2 weapons towards my head. Bringing the sword down, I sliced the fulcrum in half, causing the extension of her weapon to fall off and transform into black dust before dissipating. I spun around bringing the blade towards her, stopping it inches from her neck. For the first time in the past week since I've met her, I saw her smile.

"Maybe now, I'll actually have to try." She grinned.

"Wait… you mean to tell me that you haven't even been trying?!" I asked, astonished.

"Oh yeah, it's going to be lots of fun." She said aloud with an evil grin, probably imagining tossing me though the side of a building or something. I didn't like the sound of that. She's probably going to kill me one of these days.

_"How would I explain that I died fighting her?"_ I asked myself. The answer was pretty clear. _"I wouldn't, I'd be dead." _I reminded myself. "Come on, yesterday I managed to earn some money, so there should be more than enough for our train tickets." I spent most of the previous day doing odd jobs for some money, while at the same time trying to avoid anybody I may know.

"Hey, I wanted you to just transmute up some money." She retorted, crossing her arms.

"Which is illegal." I deadpanned, picking up my book and brushing off the dirt from its back cover. "Come on, I'd rather get to the train station _before_ the next train leaves."

* * *

"Two tickets on the next train to Central, please." I requested, passing the money across the counter to the attendant. He was an Ishvalan, as made known by the red eyes, brown skin, and white hair. He was dressed in a suit, and showed little emotion as he slid the tickets to me.

"The train will be leaving in 10 minutes." He stated quietly.

"Thanks," I said before leaving to meet back up with Felicia. I found her sitting on a bench, tapping her foot impatiently. "Here," I told her as I handed her a ticket. "The train leaves in 10 minutes. I'm going to get a seat." I told her, walking towards the 2nd passenger car from the front of the train. There were 2 cars visible from my side of the ticket counter, which were painted a light blue. In the front was large black locomotive, attached to the back of it was a black tender that held the coal that the engine used for fuel. I climbed the steps and walked down the aisle, claiming a seat in the back corner. There was a wooden trim along the bottom of the white wall. The roof was rounded, the seats were appeared to be made from leather, and sat back to back, with a wooden table between the seats that faced each other. I was surprised to see that Felicia had followed me and took a seat next to me. "What's up?" I asked.

"Just making sure you don't bail on me." She replied monotonously.

"Can you say trust issues?" I teased her.

"Can you say annoying?" She retorted. Choosing not to respond, I put my book on the table, opening it to the section about the Elrics' theory and read for a few minutes before pulling out a heavy ball that I used alchemy to take from the Church of Leto. I put on my gloves and transmuted the ball into a little snake that was coiled around itself in a striking position. This seemed to catch the interest of the homunculus next to me. "What's with you and snakes?" She asked.

"I like snakes. Snakes are cool." I replied, burying my nose in the book.

"So what are you doing?" She continued.

"Trying to understand this theory." I paused, giving a nervous chuckle. "But, I can't really understand how it would work in a practical way. That's why I have this." I held up the small snake.

"Let me see," she requested, yanking the book away from me. I watched as her eyes scanned the pages. "Ah, what's _can't _you understand about this? It seems relatively simple."

"Then explain it to me, if you're so smart." I replied, not believing that she understood it in such a short amount of time.

"You do what the book says, put a bit of yourself into it."

"I know that, I want to know how."

"Hmm…" She put her index finger on her chin. "Have you considered putting your soul in it?"

"I know that some alchemists do strange things to themselves for their studies, but I've never heard of an alchemist doing something like _that _before. Even if it's possible with alchemy, I'm not using my soul as a source of energy." I replied.

"That isn't what I had in mind. Put simply, we'll just bind pieces of your soul to your transmutations."

"Is that even-"

"Yes, it's possible." She responded, obviously becoming irritated by my question. "Look I'll explain it to you later. Just go back to reading your book." I was about to respond, when the conductor stopped and asked for our tickets. He had short blond hair and blue eyes that was common among Amestrians, he was quite tall and was dressed in a blue tuxedo. I handed him the ticket that I got at the counter, and Felicia did the same.

"So you're headed to Central. What for?" The conductor asked, trying to make conversation.

"I'm just visiting some family, and I wouldn't mind taking a look at their library." I lied, well it wasn't a complete lie. I did want to see some of the books in the Central Library.

"Hmm… what about you?" He directed the question towards Felicia. There was a moment of hesitation. In a small panic, I spoke for her.

"Well, she can't bear to be left behind by the love of her life." I answered for her. Upon noticing what I said, the homunculus in question punched me in the side, with quite some force too.

"Not even in your dreams." She angrily stated. The thought about throwing myself out the window, crossed my mind. "I'm coming along to keep _this idiot _out of trouble." She fixed my screw-up. The conductor just chuckled, handed us back our tickets and left while muttering something about the 'splendor of youth.' I nervously looked Felicia in the eyes, and she returned my gaze with a glare that felt as though it would make me spontaneously combust. "If you ever say anything remotely close to that ever again, I'll stab you." She hissed, acting as though she were about to create one of her arm blades.

"Got it…" I quietly replied, opting to peer over the seat across from me and get a look at the people boarding. There was a woman and her child sitting a few seats down, and a couple of men, who appeared to be merchants, sitting at the opposite corner of the train car, one was contently counting the coins in a satchel that was placed on the table and the other was reading a newspaper. The train whistle sounded for a few seconds, and I could hear the conductor shout "All aboard." I looked out the window as the train slowly began to move, with the repetitive sound of the engine driving the wheels into motion, slowly increasing in swiftness, before reaching a steady rate. Before long, the train station had disappeared from the window's view. With nothing better to do, I grabbed my book from in front of Felicia and returned to reading.

* * *

I felt a sharp pain in the head, as I was painfully woken up. I turned to Felicia to see her looking at me expectantly. "Come on, the train's arrived in Central." It took me a moment for my sleep riddled mind to comprehend what she'd said. I'd fallen asleep during the trip, and the blonde homunculus woke me up. Taking my book in one hand and holding the back of my head in the other, I stood and followed her into the aisle. My head was causing me discomfort, causing a thought to occur to me.

"Did you hit me?" I asked, causing Felicia to stop and face me in the middle of the walkway.

"Yep, and it worked, didn't it?" she responded, already aware of the answer.

"Yeah, but I would prefer if you didn't use so much force next time."

"As long as you never say _that _again." Even though she didn't specify what, I knew what she was talking about.

"Trust me, _I _didn't even want to say it. Hopefully I won't ever have to again."

"You didn't have to." She reminded me.

"If you didn't hesitate I wouldn't have said _that_." I was particularly glad that nobody other than us were in the car at the time.

"Jeez, are you always so flighty?" I'm almost certain that it was meant an insult.

"I blame you for that." I stated, blankly.

"And how is that my fault?" she persisted.

"You are extremely difficult to get along with and aren't even human. It puts me a bit on edge and if somebody figures out what you are, it'll cause some problems. " I replied. She didn't respond, instead just turning away from me and leaving without another word. I was a bit confused by that reaction. She seemed resentful of the truth, not only that but _me_ of all people reminding her of that probably didn't help. It made me question what would cause her to resent that particular fact. I followed after her, grabbing a folded up map from a stand that read 'Take one.' I was doubtful that she knew where to go and from the looks of it, I was correct. I found her outside the train station, looking around with a confused expression fixed on her face. "You lost?" I asked as I approached the homunculus.

"I don't need help from the likes of you." She snapped in response. It seemed my remark had hit far closer to home than intended.

"The likes of me? I admit, I said something that I shouldn't have. But, take some responsibility. You've been so difficult that it's irritating to the point where most people snap." I retorted. "You should at least try to make friends." I added in a less hostile tone.

"It's not like _I _know how to act around people. I never knew any long enough to know, much less made friends with them." I let out a bitter laugh. That's one downside to being a homunculus. It would be pretty hard to make friends, if they knew what you were.

"Not too different from myself." I stated, which caused her to show me a puzzled expression. "Growing up, I didn't have any friends. Most of them were afraid of me. Of all things, it was because of my date of birth, April 14, 1915." She still didn't seem to know what I was talking about, or why that would cause any difficulties. "Almost everybody in the country lost consciousness that day, and it was the same day as the coup led by central soldiers that killed Führer Bradley." I specified for her. She seemed to understand it then. "Guess I have no right to call _you _a monster." I replied with small smile, remembering the time I convinced the other kids that I was a demon intending to steal their souls.

"Give me the map, you damn hypocrite." She commanded, snatching the map from my hands and beginning to unfold it. I decided to play along with it.

"Ah yes, we need to find our way around this damn city." I joshed, flashing a smile, completely aware of the stares of the confused people who were probably wondering why there were two teenagers standing outside the train station and cursing at each other about a map. Opening up my book, I removed an envelope from between its first page and the inside of its front cover. It was the envelope that mom gave me days earlier. One side had a name on it and on the other, in smaller print, was an address. Felicia had already finished unfolding the map, which was far larger than expected. I looked from envelope to the map in her hands until I found the location of a matching address. Felicia was already a step ahead of me and she directed me to our current location on the eastern side of Central. Running my index finger along the map, I decided on a path to the address in the northeastern portion of the map, near the edge of the city. I looked up from the map trying to decide in which direction to walk.

"Follow this road that way." She said, using the map to point down the road. I took a look at the map then in the direction she pointed in. It looked to be fastest way. I shrugged and followed her as she began to head towards our destination. She didn't waste any time and walked at a fast pace. It was a long walk, which is to be expected in such a large city, taking about an hour to get to the building. It was a large apartment complex that had 3 floors and one visible entrance on the front. After getting the room number for the name "Cynthia Vanhoose," which was written on the envelope. We were sent up to the 3rd floor and stopped at the second to last door in the hallway. On the wooden door was a plaque that read 315. I knocked on the door, wondering who might be on the other side. A woman with small blue eyes and a strong Xingese resemblance. Her wavy hair reached just below her shoulder blades and was a black with a lack of highlights. She was average built with notably strong arms, and I noticed there was a transmutation circle on each hand.

"Are you Cynthia Vanhoose?" I asked holding out the envelope.

"What are you some kind of mail boy?" she asked, before turning her attention to Felicia. "Who brings his girlfriend along with him?" she added.

"Never gonna happen!" We both shouted in denial of that outlandish suggestion. She took the envelope, before ripping it open and reading the piece of paper inside. She began to smile and wrapped me in a bone-crushing hug.

"So you're Janice's darling son!" She exclaimed in acknowledgement.

"You know my mom?" I asked, trying get free.

"She and I were close friends." She released me from the death grip. "But, who's this you've brought along?"

"Her name's Felicia Schwartz. She's an alchemist specializing in bio-alchemy, and a friend of mine. As far as I know, she doesn't have any family, so she came along." I replied.

"Come on in." She requested stepping to the side and holding open the door. I followed Felicia into the living room of Cynthia's apartment. We sat on a dark green couch, in front of which, was a wooden coffee table. Cynthia sat across the table from us, in a wicker chair that she took from the dining room that was to the left of the room we were currently in. In the corner of the small room, next to the window in the back wall, sat a silent radio on an end table.

"So, what brings you to Central?" Cynthia asked.

"I intended to become a State Alchemist." I replied nonchalantly.

"That won't be easy, especially since Brigadier General Whittmann has been put in charge of the exams. I could put in a good word for you, but I'm only a Lieutenant so it probably won't help much. He hasn't allowed anyone under 20 join. There were a few who managed to get around his say in the matter, but you'd have to impress somebody high up in the military to do that." She stated. "I was lucky enough to get in just before he was put in command."

"Wait, you're a State Alchemist?" I asked.

"Of course I am." She answered, producing a heavy silver watch from her pocket. There was an Amestrian dragon and a hexagram inscribed on the front. "Speaking of that, aren't the examinations supposed to be in… about three weeks?"

"Yeah," I replied.

"You two can stay here until then." Cynthia suddenly suggested.

"Really? Why?" I questioned, a little taken aback by the offer.

"Well I'm close friends with your mother. Also, if I saw a stray dog in the rain I'd give it a home." She replied.

"_Not that I'm complaining, but did she just relate me to a stray dog?"_ I asked myself. I could hear Felicia's muffled giggles at the Cynthia's reasoning. _"So it seems that she does have a sense of humor. It's just when others are being insulted." _I made sure to remember that bit of information in case it's ever needed. "I'm okay with it, if it's okay with both of you." I stated. Felicia had managed to stop laughing and nodded.

"Alright, let me give you a tour. It isn't much, but its home." Cynthia happily stated. In a way, she seemed like Felicia's complete opposite.

* * *

It was 9 by the time everyone went to bed. Cynthia had her own room at the end of the hall on the right of the apartment, Felicia slept in the guest room that was 2nd door down and I left to sleep on the couch. Well I tried, it was difficult to sleep due to the noises coming from Felicia's room. Sighing heavily, I threw the blanket that Cynthia gave to me over the side of the couch and got to my feet. I slowly walked to her door and opened it. On the floor of the room lay a red-faced Felicia, her hair spread out around her and her clothing dangerously low. Cynthia was on top of her with her hands on Felicia's chest. They both immediately turned to me. I blinked twice, trying to decipher if this was real, which unfortunately, it was.

"Hmm…" I spoke, taking a step away from the door. "It seems that I've interrupted something. I would appreciate if you could keep the noise to a minimum. Thank you." I shut the door and got back to the couch trying to bury my reddening face under the blanket. I wasn't aware that she swung _that_ way.


	4. Transmutations

I spent the next morning at the library. Grabbing some large books on the subject of bio-alchemy, I took a seat a rectangular wood table and began to read up on the subject. I'd finished 2 books by the time Felicia showed up. I didn't need to look up from the book to tell that the homunculus had sat down next to me. "Yamato, we need to speak." She stated in a voice just above a whisper. I picked up the two books that I'd already finished, and proceeded to the shelves that I found them on.

"About what?" I asked as I carried the tomes, not looking directly at her.

"About what happened last night." She replied, beginning to blush. I could feel my face heat up from the mention of that event.

"What happened last night seems pretty clear to me." I stated, putting the book _Dr. Bennett's Guide to Bio-Alchemy_ back in its original spot. I wanted to put the entire incident behind me.

"Obviously, you're getting the wrong idea. Especially since you refuse to even look me in the eyes." She persisted.

"It's a bit difficult to blame me. It wasn't exactly the best scene for me to walk in on." I retorted.

"And here I thought that most guys would like to see an attractive woman in that sort of position." She sarcastically replied.

"Don't take me for some kind of pervert." I requested indignantly.

"So… why are you reading all these books on bio-alchemy?" She asked, changing the subject.

"I was trying to find some information on the soul transmutations that you were talking about, but none of them had even mentioned it. On an unrelated note, I did learn the elemental composition of a human."

"Well of course you won't find it in any of these books. It's something only a few alchemists know." She stated as though it were common knowledge.

"So how am I going to use it if no one here can teach me it?"

"Hello…" she pointed at herself.

"I thought you couldn't perform alchemy."

"I can't, but I learned from someone who can." I couldn't help but wonder why the creator of a homunculus would know how to bind souls, but decided against asking Felicia, deciding to remember that tidbit of information for later.

"So where do I start?" I asked the homunculus who seemed to have an answer for everything.

* * *

I stared at the paper with a transmutation circle drawn on it, which sat on the table in front of me. It was an extremely complicated array. There were 2 complete circles that had the base angles of four triangles lying on the outermost ring and the other last point sticking outside the circle. In the center portion of the array, lay two limiting symbols, the 8-sided star that represented creation and three symbols that Felicia explained their meanings in the reaction to me. "So, is this the circle?" I asked, inspecting the array.

"Yep," Felicia proudly answered. I was glad that I convinced her to come back to Cynthia's apartment. She nearly got us kicked out of the library trying to explain the concept to me, and I did not want to get banned from that library.

"So what do I do? Do I put it on my glove or what?"

"You can draw it on whatever your binding you soul to, but it'll save a lot of time if you just put it on your glove." She clarified. "The time limit is significantly shorter when it isn't used as an anchoring point." Taking her advice, I copied the complex array by transmuting some of the ball I took from Liore into a needle and sewed the design into the back of the glove. All that was left was to give the circle a test run. Taking the ball and needle, I transmuted them into a small snake, which was separated into countless smaller sections that were covered by scales. I made certain that the serpent was hollow save for a skeletal system, which mimicked that of an actual snake and connected to each piece. I wanted it to be as close to the real thing as possible. I gave the serpent a light tap with the back of my gloved hand, and with a small flash of light… nothing happened. I turned my creation over in my hands, finding that almost nothing had changed. I stopped when I took a look at the face. The snake's eyes were glowing a faint red, before they dimmed out completely. It wasn't much, but it showed that Felicia knew what she was talking about. I gave it another go, receiving the same result. Whatever was supposed to happen wasn't.

"Trying focusing on putting your soul into it. Like a reactant in a normal transmutation. I would think that you'd know how to do that." She suggested. I took a deep breath in preparation to perform the reaction.

_"What is a soul? It's what makes someone who they are, their very being. It's the spark of life, in a way." _I contemplated, before attempting the transmutation a third time. The small serpent began to move. The sections, which were hidden by the countless scales that formed the surface, moved so that the snake took a coiled position as though it were about to strike. The head snapped in my direction, the normally empty holes where the eyes would have been, now housed a red glowing sphere. The 'eyes' appeared to blink and the serpent made a sound similar to a person's mumbling, before the energy disappeared and it became lifeless once more.

"Look at that, it seems that you aren't _completely_ incompetent, after all." It was the closest thing to a compliment that I've heard from her. I flashed a smile at her.

"I'll take whatever I can get."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked indignantly.

"That's the closest you've been to saying something positive about me." I replied, with a laugh.

"Shut up!" She attempted to punch me in the face. Having expected it, I caught her hand.

"If your opponent has a short temper, seek to infuriate them." I informed her, before letting go. I shook my hand trying to rid myself of the pain that racked my palm.

"I'm stronger than I look." She retorted, quite proud of herself.

"Duly noted." I stated. "Putting your violent tendencies aside, I wanted to know why you decided on me for this endeavor. You could have easily found someone better suited for it."

"I did attempt the same thing with a few other people. There were some 'conflicts' that we couldn't settle and they fell apart. So far, you've the only one who's been able to…"

"Tolerate you for this long?" I guessed, finishing her sentence for her.

"Yeah…" She agreed, sounding a little resentful of it.

"So they didn't even know that you weren't human?" She shook her head, in response. I always try to put my faith in humanity, but how is it that I'm the only one so far that has been able to deal with this girl. I mean I know that she can be a pain in the ass, but really? In my opinion, that's pretty disappointing.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to quit." I reassured her, attempting the transmutation again. "I always uphold my side of a deal."

* * *

It was late in the evening by the time Cynthia had returned. Immediately after walking through the front door, she collapsed on the couch. Which brought up a question to my attention. "Is being a lieutenant that tiring?" I asked the military official who was resting on the sofa, as I sat with my legs crossed on the floor. She held up a medal from her uniform as though she were inspecting the badge.

"Of course it is, but I love the job nonetheless." Cynthia replied with a smile, letting the metal fall back onto her chest. "Although, it would be nice if there was less paperwork, though." She didn't continue to speak about the abundant amount of paperwork, instead she turned her attention to the serpent that I'd spent most of the day fiddling with. Now the serpent lay motionless on the table in middle of the room, still coiled up in the striking position. "What's up with the snake?" She asked, apparently intrigued by its existence.

"Just a little something I was working on for the upcoming examinations." I replied.

"Ah, well it's good to see that you're not just sitting around all day." She let out a loud sigh. "And it's good to see that you're doing _something_." She added. It was then, that I caught hold of the smell of alcohol.

"Are you drunk?" I inquired.

"Maybe-" She replied, beginning to slur her words. "I went out for a drink with um…" I could practically see the smoke leaving her ears, as she racked her brain trying to remember who she was with. "It was Rosalia, that's who! I went out for a drink with her after work, though she didn't drink that much."

"Good, for a moment I was worried that the government was being run by irresponsible drunks." Felicia joked, from the chair on the other side of the table.

"Ay… I'm not that… I-I'm not that drunk." She denied. Her words just got less and less intelligible the more she spoke. "Come ere' girl. I-I'll prove it." I could easily see her poorly hidden smirk.

"Nah, I'll just take your word for it." Felicia answered, denying Cynthia's drunken request. Cynthia threw her feet over the front of the couch, forcing herself to sit up. She kept trying to put her hand on my head, which I avoided until she actually succeeded, which was a few attempts after I stopped caring.

"Aww, you're no funnnn…" She lamented, rubbing my head, much to my discomfort. "Good boy…" she muttered and that was about all I had of it. I am certain that she believed me to be a dog at that moment in time. I waited until she stood up and I backed out of her reach, causing her to fall to the ground. This time without any assistance she shakily got to her feet, leaning profoundly to her right.

"Maybe you should get some sleep." I suggested, hoping to get her in bed and not acting like _this_. I didn't really wish to see the drunken antics of _this_ woman… or Felicia either. But, hopefully I won't have to see the homunculus doing such a thing.

"Fine, but only if Felicia comes with me." Cynthia requested.

"No!" The homunculus answered immediately.

"Aww, you're no funnn…" She repeated, staggering down the hall while holding her hand against the wall to keep from falling again. I watched as she struggled to open the door and stumble inside, the door clicking shut behind her. I let out an audible sigh as soon as the door had shut.

"You should go to bed, too." I suggested to the homunculus.

"Um… Yamato?" I turned to see Felicia, standing in beside the coffee table. "Can I ask you to do something?" She asked, her face turning red. I didn't particularly like where this was headed.

"Well, this isn't quite as bad as I had expected." I quietly stated from my seat on the front of the door to the room where Felicia slept. The homunculus had requested that I blocked the door. When I asked for a reason why, she stated that if something like before happened again, she would probably murder Cynthia. All in all, it would be bad if we were suspects in a murder investigation. So, I did as she requested and took up guard in front of her door. I ended up spending the night sitting in front of a door in a dark hallway, guarding someone who could easily kill maybe even the Führer if she wanted to from a woman who's probably too drunk to walk, much less figure out how to unlock and easily lockable door. I somehow find myself in these strange situations because of Felicia, and yet I continue to follow her orders. No wonder they keep referring to me as a dog, I keep taking their orders like one. Considering my goal though, is that a good thing or a bad thing?

* * *

"So what are you going to make?" Felicia asked, following behind me carrying 2 large bags full of metal pieces. I shifted the bags that was hanging on my shoulders, which was filled with metal as well. We'd spent most of the day collecting the raw material from some auto mail mechanics in the area. Most of them where more than happy to be rid of their scrap metal.

"Hmm?" I asked, checking on the girl behind me.

"What are you going to make from this? I know that an alchemist wouldn't just buy a bunch of raw material for no reason."

"Oh, well with the examinations nearing I thought it best that I plan out how I'm going to demonstrate my alchemy. Long story short, while the soul binding transmutation is useful in many cases, unless I have a strong material it won't be of much good, auto mail is made from really strong alloys which is why I decided on using the mechanics' leftover parts. I'm not just going to carry around a bunch of scrap metal though, I'm going to create a puppet of sorts. I'm not sure exactly what it'll be though. My first thought would be a snake-"

"Well that's a shocker." She muttered sarcastically.

"As I was saying, originally it was supposed to be a snake but that obviously wouldn't work well for combat uses. So I'm throwing around some ideas as to what it should be."

"What about a suit of armor?"

"No… a suit of armor made from this would be too big to take long distances. I was thinking smaller, maybe a large quadruped."

"Like a dog?" I gave it a thought, deciding that a wolf would probably work. A dog wouldn't be menacing enough, in my opinion. We certainly have enough materials already, the size wouldn't be as much as a hassle as anything human-sized, and it would definitely be capable of much better movement than a serpent. All in all, it was a pretty good idea. Plus I would love to be able to send a massive wolf made from metal, armed with sharp claws and spikes at an enemy. I'm almost certain that it would terrify any person on the receiving end of it. I definitely giving it a shot.

"Hey…" I began catching on. "You suggested that because of my career choice, didn't you?"

"What? No… what would make you think that?" She sarcastically asked. Soon we reached the apartment and I began to lay out multiple papers on the floor, drawing a circle identical to the one on my gloves and large enough to encompass all the parts that were to be placed on the sheets. I made certain that they laid out in the way I would put them together. I closed my eyes, and ran all the calculations through my head once again. After confirming that they were in fact correct, I began the transmutation. Light flashed from the parts as they took form of their intended part, and the parts then put themselves together creating the intended whole. The light diminished, allowing me to inspect my handiwork. It had turned out better than I'd expected. The skull had lacked ears, but had the razor-sharp teeth aligned on the bottom of the skull, touching the row of teeth that were attached to the bottom jaw which was attached by a large flat head screw to the cheek area on both sides. The torso had dull steel that stuck out of the back of the reinforced frame, resembling turfs of fur. The tail had was like the torso but thinner, appearing to be longer than the torso and the end resembled a spear head. The legs had much lesser detail in dull steel plates and taking the traditional look of auto mail. All of the parts had microfibers running from the limbs to the torso, helping to keep them in their settings.

I picked up the front leg, experimentally bending its knee and ankle. I lightly poked the tip of one of the 3 large claws that protruded from its 'paw,' pulling away my index finger with a small stream of blood running down where I'd accidentally stabbed myself. The claws would probably be bane of many a floor. It appeared to be exactly as I wanted, but the only way to know for certain would be to attempt to bind my soul to it. I removed the head and using my bloodied finger, I drew the circle that Felicia showed me on the inside of chest. I didn't intend to do that, but it worked in my favor so I didn't pay any mind to the minor pain. I took a deep breath and put the back of my glove on the torso, giving it a piece of my soul. I had been practicing diligently and was steadily increasing the amount of time the transmutation would last, the longest of which was only a couple minutes. The puppet came to life, lifting itself onto its legs. The holes where its eyes belong gave off a faint red light. It experimentally lifted each individual leg and gave its tail a test swing, as well. Its jaw opened and closed with a loud clang.

"The jaw is a little loose." It spoke, without moving the apparently slack jaw. It walked forward, albeit a little wobbly. It wasn't used to the new body. Taking an extra piece of metal and transmuting it into a makeshift screwdriver and used it to tighten the screws in each side of the jaw.

"How's that?" I asked, as the puppet tested its jaw again.

"Better." The wolf replied. "Everything else is-" it didn't finish its sentence as its head fell of and it collapsed on the ground, the transmutation having worn off. I couldn't help but laugh a little to cover my embarrassment.

"It seems the transmutation is still a work in progress." I stated. Felicia walked over to my fallen creation and lifted it onto her shoulder with seemingly no effort on her part. She then began to carry it out of the room, walking right past me. "What are you doing?" I asked following her into the hallway.

"I'm taking it up to the roof." She stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh the roof…" it took me longer than I'd like to admit to register what she'd said. "The roof? Why the roof?" I asked a bit worried as to her intention.

"We're going to spar. Me, you, and _you_." She gestured to the heap of metal on her shoulder when she mentioned it last. She opened the door to the roof that I followed her towards and dropped the puppet on the roof, much to my chagrin. "Come on, I'm only giving you five seconds and even that might be too long." She warned me, taking up position several yards away from me. I took a quick look at the almost completely bare roof, which held only a couple of pipes on the far edge. Luckily the roof was quite spacious so I didn't have to worry too much about falling. I quickly ran over to my construct and transmuted a small portion of my soul into it. It got to its feet faster this time, and got into a stance as though it were about to pounce. It may have only been the first strike, but Felicia didn't hold back. I easily jumped out of the way, but my puppet didn't. As it began to move, I heard a loud snap and it fell ungracefully on its face. The homunculus was upon it before it could move out of the way, and she slammed into it. I cringed when Felicia hit it, having expected the wolf to end up completely destroyed. What I saw was something I hadn't expected. The wolf had its harpoon-like tail out in front of it, impaling Felicia right through where her heart was. I almost had a heart attack. I thought that I had killed her. Apparently the part of me I put in the wolf had the same thought, and it began to attempt to remove its tail.

"Hold still." I told it, as I ran to their aid. I grabbed the end pointed end of the tail, and ripped it away from the rest of the tail. The puppet removed what was left of its tail and got away from Felicia. I was about to check her wound, when she spoke.

"Calm down, I'm okay." She requested, seemingly confused by my panicked reaction.

"No you aren't there's a giant-" I stopped when I noticed the perfect red sphere that resided in place of her heart, completely unharmed by the incident. I even got to witness the bones and muscle tissue regenerating around the wound. I breathed a sigh of relief. I was completely convinced I had murdered her, although Felicia wasn't angered by _that_. I still could feel the malice that permeated the air around her.

"You tore a hole in my favorite shirt!" she shouted, grabbing me by the head and throwing me across the roof with inhuman strength. I barely managed to catch the side of the building to stop myself from plummeting to the ground. I grabbed the edge with my other hand and pulled myself up.

"You almost killed me!" I shouted, now safely not dangling over the side of a building.

"If that would have killed you, then you don't deserve to live." She replied.

"You over estimate the ability of the human body to _not_ splatter all over a sidewalk when it falls from several floors off the ground." I stated. "Geez to think that I was worried about _you_." I watched as my puppet limped over to me, holding the left front leg off the ground, bringing dismembered tail over to me for reconnection. I thanked it and used alchemy to reattach the limb. I then took a look at the paw. "Oops. I connected the feet wrong." I stated, as I inspected the limb. The outside was fairly sound, but the supports that connected the inside were torn off. I was surprised the limb hadn't fallen off yet. I began to reconnect the feet, this time by hand to prevent anymore avoidable mistakes. I had managed to fix the first foot by the time the transmutation had worn off and the soulless shell collapsed.

"Argh, there's a hole in the back of my shirt too." Felicia lamented. "You're going to fix this." She told me.

"Sure, after I'm finished fixing my puppet's feet." I replied, opening the other foot in the front to fix the inner supports.

"No, you'll fix it now." She ordered.

"I choose the blame you for that." I stated.

"No it's obviously your fault. If you hadn't stabbed me, my shirt would be just fine." She retorted, holding the hole in the fabric shut.

"As it turns out, when the transmutation wears off, I get the memories from the soul that was put in the puppet. I couldn't move out of the way, and I had a moment of panic when it felt like you'd kill me, so I attempted to stop you." I replied, placing a piece into place and using alchemy to meld the two pieces together.

"That still makes it your fault." She countered, quite proud that she won the argument.

"Whatever… if you want me to fix your shirt, I'm going to need you to take it off." I stated, watching my comment take immediate effect as her face turned bright red.

"What?! Why?!"

"Because the transmutation circle on my gloves aren't designed to transmute cloth. I would need to draw up a circle for it, and place the shirt, minus you, in it. Which is why I decided to take care of that later." I explained, shutting the second leg and moving on to the third. "So unless you have something on underneath that, I will not be fixing it out here." After that, I finished fixing the puppet and went back to Cynthia's apartment, where Felicia went into the guest room and hid in there while I fixed her shirt, before leaving it outside the door for her to retrieve while I double checked my puppet for flaws. For as overconfident as Felicia is, it can be really easy to embarrass her.

* * *

**Just so you know, I went back and fixed Felicia's description from the 1st chapter. I also drew an image of what she looks like. Just remove the spaces from the following link. ** fav. me/ d7h4wlr


	5. Brothers of Destruction

_-September 26: Date of State Alchemist Exams- _

I stood in the courtyard of the massive fortress known as Central Command. I spun around, staring at the white walls, towers and garrison that protected the area where I stood. There were stone walkways, some of which followed along the inside of the walls and some crossed through the courtyard. The grass was perfectly cut and perfectly rectangular bushes lined the pathways. There was one large building that appeared to be many smaller buildings of varying sizes put together, housing countless windows, and held many green banners with the Amestrian dragon insigne on it. I walked up the stairs that ended on a platform that was the entrance to main building. I stepped past the white pillars that stood in the entrance, only to be stopped by two soldiers. "Halt!" One soldier ordered as he blocked my path.

"What is it?" I asked, I gotten in through the garrison quite easily. So, I'm not sure why they're stopping me now.

"Only military personnel are allowed past this point." The other soldier replied.

"And I am here for to apply for the position of State Alchemist." I specified.

"According to our orders, any applicants for that position are required to present proof of identification to enter the building." They both replied in perfect sync.

_"Proof of identification!" _I mentally yelled at myself. I had forgotten to get any form of identification of any kind. _"Bah! How could I forget that?!" _

"He's with me." Cynthia told the two soldiers as she approached, interrupting my mental scolding. The two men looked at her then back at me, before realization dawned on one.

"Lieutenant Vanhoose, ma'am!" As he said, standing at attention with a practiced salute. The other soldier took notice of that and did the same. "Our apologies Lieutenant, we were not aware that they were with you!"

"At ease." She stated, obviously enjoying the authority. She walked into the building, and I began to follow her.

"Wait," The first soldier began, holding up a hand to stop my movement. "You still are not allowed to bring any suspicious items or unauthorized personnel." I looked to Cynthia for confirmation.

"He is right, Führer's orders. Security is being taken up a step." Cynthia quietly corresponded. I sighed, sliding the metal puppet that I had folded into an easily carry able form, by hooking the legs together. My hard work building it was for naught.

"Okay…" I relented, a little disappointed. Felicia took the mannequin from me. "Wish me luck."

"Good luck." Felicia spoke, before the second soldier urged her to leave. I turned to Cynthia, who was waving goodbye to Felicia.

"So, what's with the high-level of security?" I asked her, as she led me to where I was to wait.

"The Führer will be overseeing the exams. As are many other high-ranking officers, including Brigadier General Whittmann."

"Really? That may prove a problem." The idle chatter continued until we had reached the waiting area just outside of the testing chamber.

"Good luck." Cynthia said, before leaving without another word. I took a look at the surrounding area. There were chairs lined up against the walls, with only a few people occupying any of them, and a door that I assumed to be the entrance to the examination chambers. By the wall to my right, I could see a guy chatting with a girl, who was ignored him, choosing to read the book that she'd brought with her. The opposite side was completely empty save for one boy who sat in the chair closest to the entrance. Even though he was in a chair, he appeared to be quite tall. He had black hair and thin black eyes that made me assume that he'd be from an eastern country, quite possibly Xing, and was dressed in a black t-shirt, over which he wore a long white jackets like one would expect from a mad scientist, and black pants. He looked like a much younger version of Führer Mustang, but lacked Mustang's atmosphere of authority. Unsure of whether I should wait, I reluctantly sat down in the nearest chair.

After what I assume to be an hour of waiting, a man peaked out from the other side of the door and ushered the guy by the door into the chamber. A minute after entering the chamber, shouts rang out from the room followed by what sounded like an explosion. I jumped to my feet just in time to see the door get blown open by another explosion. The man ran out from the explosion, small flames flickered on his clothing but not going out, as he avoided several bullets that were flew by him. The first thought that came to mind was along the lines of how it was overdramatic to blowup a man just because he didn't meet the military's standards. My original thought was put to death as giant of a man ran past while yelling at the man to surrender for assaulting the Führer. The man stopped and pulled out two massive pistols, which made sense given his monstrous size. I felt like an ant compared to this huge man. With practiced speed and precision, he put a bullet in the fleeing alchemist's left shoulder and right thigh, causing him to collapse on the ground. Soldiers filed out of the examination room, followed by Mustang himself. The Führer stepped out of the doorway, stopping next to the titan. He was only as tall as the giant's shoulder. He had a thick black mustache on his upper lip and a head of hair that was similar to a bird's nest in form, and black eyes that demanded authority and seemed to peer into the soul of anybody who dare meet his gaze. He was dressed in the standard military uniform, which was decorated with medals.

"Good work Brigadier General Whittmann." Mustang praised the man. I focused my view on the massive man who stood by the Führer. The officer was fair skinned, had pale blue almost gray eyes, a thick mustache, and trimmed auburn hair. He had a fair amount of muscle, and was more intimidating than the Führer. A soldier carried the handcuffed alchemist over to the Führer.

"Take him to the holding cell, and make certain that he doesn't escape." Mustang commanded.

"Yes sir!" the soldier responded, carrying the injured man away.

"I want all nonmilitary personnel removed from the premises." Mustang ordered to the remaining soldiers, who gave a 'yes sir' and a salute before leaving. "That includes all of you. We'll continue with the exams on a later date. Dismissed!"

"Yes sir!" I replied with a hurried salute, before following his orders and exiting the building, almost immediately leaving the other two in my dust.

* * *

-_?'s Perspective- _

I carried the so-called 'traitor' down a corridor towards the holding cell, the opposite direction of where he was supposed to go. Both of his arms were over my and the other guy's shoulder, which is how we were able to carry him. Behind us were several other soldiers, about 7 in total. This 'traitor' is my brother, Noparo, and he wasn't supposed to have attacked the Führer _yet._ I knew that he didn't like killing, which is why I didn't expect him to jump the gun like that. With this occurrence, we'd have to move the plan much further ahead despite the fact that _all_ the transmutation circles weren't in place yet, it should still work on a smaller scale but it'll suffice. I looked at the man, who was helping my carry my brother but paying more attention to where we were headed instead of my brother. "Can you keep going?" I asked in a whisper loud enough for only him to hear. I heard him grunt in response. The other man noticed but probably played it off as though he was feeling the pain from being shot _twice_. I'll have to remember to make that damn Brigadier General pay for it.

I slowly reached for the pistol holstered on my right hip with my free hand. In one swift motion I raised it and shot the man supporting my brother in the side of his head, before Noparo dropped to the ground, transmuting 7 spikes that impaled the rest of the soldiers. Noparo got to his feet, obviously keeping his weight off his right leg. I quickly went back to supporting my brother. "We need to go to the center of the circle, now. There's no doubt that the gunshot's going to attract unwanted attention." Noparo stated. I snuck a look at the bleeding soldiers as they slowly met the end of their worthless lives. "Let's go Efrain," Noparo persisted.

"Right," I replied, snapping out of my daze and helping my brother towards our destination.

* * *

_-Yamato's Perspective-_

I made my way out the front entrance of the main building, followed by a soldier who was barely keeping pace with me. The other people were left in my dust, as I speed walked towards the exit. As I passed the white pillars at the entrance, I caught sight of a soldier trying to get Felicia to leave. The soldier appeared to attempt to push her towards the garrison but appeared surprised as the girl, who was smaller than him, managed to push back, matching his strength with little effort. I ran towards the contest of strength between human and homunculus which, in my experience, man had little chance of winning. "Hey," I called out. This distracted the man and while he was distracted, Felicia stepped out of the way, causing him to stumble past. Now the tables had turned, Felicia began to push the man towards the exit like he had previously done to her.

"Sorry, but you must leave." She ordered in a mocking tone.

"Come on, Felicia. Stop that and let the man do his job." I requested, taking pity on the man, who'll probably never hear the end of this from any of his coworkers.

"Why is it that I must leave? I thought that as long as I stayed out here, nobody would mind." She replied, no longer keeping the man from his post.

"A man attacked Mustang, who hasn't been harmed. He's been captured but all nonmilitary persons are still required to leave. Orders from the Führer himself." I stated. "Don't worry, we'll be leaving now." I told the soldiers who had retaken his position guarding the entrance. I grabbed Felicia's wrist and began to pull her towards the garrison. We got down to the bottom of the steps, when the sound of a gunshot stopped us. I jumped out of the way, pulling Felicia over the handrail with me, as a group of soldiers charged up the stairs towards the sound. "Something's not right…" I stated. "They had him contained, there would have been no need to shoot him again. Unless…" I trailed off.

"What are you getting at? Wait do you think he escaped?" Felicia asked in a suspicious tone.

"It's very much possible. Felicia, I need a way back in the building." I told her, causing her to smile.

"I'll take care of that." She stated confidently, which made me believe for a moment that she would assault the guards. I quickly put that thought to death, reassuring myself that she wouldn't do something to jeopardize my chances of getting the job, especially if it meant that I couldn't help her with her goal. She handed me my wolf puppet. Taking a step away from me, she twisted her left foot 180 degrees with a sickening snap. I cringed at the sound; I hated that sound with every fiber of my being.

"Geez Felicia, there's no need to injure yourself."

"I can manipulate my skeletal structure. It doesn't harm me at all. I would have expected you to have figured that out something that simple by now." She stated, walking around on her backwards foot as though she'd done it a million times just to prove her point. "Just take the chance when you see it." She requested, before 'limping' up the stairs. I climbed the stairs a moment later, peeking over the edge of the entrance. I saw one man run into the building and another inspecting Felicia's foot with obvious intrigue. She was sitting on the ground with her feet in front of her. Her 'injured' foot was being inspected by a soldier. I had to use this chance before the other guy got back. I made a mad dash into the building, trying to keep my footsteps as quiet as possible. I stopped just around the corner glancing back at the homunculus, who acknowledged my location. Not really knowing where to go, I just ran down a random corridor, trying to find some info on where the gunshot came from.

I ran down one hallway, tripping over a loose floorboard. I managed to use my hands to stop myself from face planting, instead landing on all fours. I was a bit curious as to why there was a loose floorboard in the first place. Central Command had gotten their floors redone a year or so ago, so there normally wouldn't have been worn down that fast. I scuttled over to the flawed flooring and lifted it so that I could see under it. Under the floor board, was a transmutation circle with multiple lines extending out from it, each one seeming to continue a great distance past the lifted board. I inspected the circle, ready to jump away in case it were to activate. It was a large circle that had 3 smaller circles inside it, one of which lay in the top right section, covering a small part of the 2 larger circles. Through the circle ran a curved line and 2 straight lines that formed a obtuse angle, all of them continued out of sight. I didn't know what the circle did, or for what purpose somebody would go through the trouble of drawing transmutation circles under the floor. I began to connect the dots. Everything that had occurred; the man attacking Mustang, the gunshot, the circles, they were all part of an attempt to kill the Führer. I reached down and scratched out the circle to the best of my ability, leaving smear marks in its wake. At least now, nobody will be able to activate it. I then put the floorboard back down, stomping on it to make certain it wasn't suspicious. I walked in the direction that I believed led to the center and hopefully the circle's creator.

I ran down many corridors, peeking around each corner checking for a person on the other side. There was a surprising lack of people; I only saw a couple of people. I chose to focus more on the enemy's location than the possibility that they evacuated any noncombat oriented personnel. After running down one corridor, which I believe was pretty close to the center although _hoped_ would have been a better word, I caught sight of the Mustang lookalike from earlier and another man. I hid behind the corner again, slowly sliding my puppet off my shoulder and onto the floor, careful to not alert them to my presence. I began unfolding the wolf when I heard a voice.

"Hey Yamato, you're not supposed to be in here right now." I jumped at the whispering from behind me.

"Jeez Cynthia, I nearly jumped out of my skin." I quietly scolded her. "Besides, I think I figured out their plan."

"Oh, so you're some kind of detective now?" Cynthia asked, her voice lacking any sort of serious tone.

"Just helping out." I could hear the two start talking, causing me to shush the Lieutenant.

"It's around here right?" I heard one say.

"Of course it is. See its right here." I heard one remark. I looked over the corner again to see the Mustang lookalike lifting up a floorboard, revealing an exact copy of the circle I found earlier.

"I'm sorry I don't understand a damn thing about this alchemy crap. Let's just hurry up, I want to destroy this place as fast as possible." The other snapped. I pulled myself back around the corner.

"There are two of them. Cynthia, I'm going to put a wall between them. You take the left and I take the right?" I suggested, putting on my gloves.

"Oh yeah, I'd love to kick some butt." She replied, overenthusiastically.

"Well, you'll enjoy this." I stated, unfolding my puppet and transmuting a portion of my soul into it.

"Just activate it already!" I heard one shout from around the corner.

"I'm trying, but it won't work." The other replied. I took this as my cue. The wolf charged out from the corner and down the hallway, causing one man to shoot at it repeatedly. Now that he was distracted, I leapt into the middle of the same corridor, transmuting a wall between the two men and one behind the man that was shooting his gun. I saw Cynthia confidently stride out from behind the corner and held up her hand like she were a traffic cop. A couple of bullets whizzed past her, but she remained unfazed.

"This man's aim is terrible, can we switch opponents?" She requested. I shook my head in response. In all truth, I kind of wanted to fight another alchemist to see how I'd perform. Cynthia let out an overdramatic sigh, apparently not happy at getting a terrible opponent, despite the fact that the rate of bullets that flew past seemed to increase. "Fine…" she sighed again. The circle on her hand began to glow and a massive bolt of electricity flew from her hand. I wanted to see how that affected her opponent, but I was interrupted by the other alchemist sending a sharp object right by my head. I snuck a peek at the object that nearly made a home in my head, it was a paper plane with the extremely sharp edges that were giving off small flames. I snapped my attention to the man who had thrown another one at me, which grazed my arm. My puppet had been getting in the way of his throws which is probably the only reason my head isn't on fire. I quickly clapped my hands together, creating two swords from the wall, a long one for my right hand and a short one for my left. I took a deep breath before rushing the man, swinging the long sword parallel to the ground. He reached down and transmuted a wooden spire that blocked my swing, splintering as the sword left a deep cut in the creation.

I took two quick steps towards him, stabbing at him repeatedly with the shorter blade. He avoided all of my attacks before grabbing my arm and throwing me over his shoulder. I landed on my back and before I could get to my feet, the man had a wooden sword pointed at my head. My puppet jumped over me and onto my opponent, who brought up his weapon in defense. The wolf bit the blade of his sword and smashed it, giving me a chance to get to my feet. I swung my longer blade at him, which he dodged again. I brought the short sword up at his chest, which he stepped back and out of its path. My puppet had snuck behind him and attempted to impale him through the head with his tail. The man ducked underneath it and putting his palms on the ground, caused the wooden floor to spontaneously combust and a wave of flames to advance down the hallway towards the metal wolf and away from me. He then sent a wave of flames towards me. I quickly transmuted a hole in the floor that wasn't made of wood and thus wouldn't burn. My puppet, which was unaffected by the flames, jumped at the man from behind. The man just put up a wooden wall to stop it, which had two holed punched in it from the sharp claws. I saw him bite his lip.

"So it's not a living animal, huh?" he asked, though I don't think that the question was directed towards me. So I didn't answer, instead trying to strike him while his guard was down. He must have been expecting that because he kicked me directly in the chest, sending me to the floor. He then stood over me menacingly. "I'm not going to enjoy this, but you've interfered too much." He stated, transmuting another sword from the floor; this time it wasn't made from wood. "Good bye Alchemist…" He was about to bring it down on my head when an explosion erupted from behind him, destroying the wall. Further down the hallway stood Führer Mustang, who had his ignition gloves equipped, and my soulless puppet lie on the floor next to him. I saw the rogue alchemist smile at Mustang's appearance. "Good, now I don't have to search you out." He pulled out of his jacket a thick stack of paper. The paper began to glow, as the man threw them, causing a rain of paper missiles to fly down the corridor all of them targeting Mustang. With a snap, a huge explosion engulfed the corridor, destroying every single paper projectile and blinding me. When my sight returned, I could see the man with even more paper, staring down Mustang and a blonde woman, who looked completely unfamiliar to me.

"Stand down, Noparo Hazuko." The Führer commanded.

"First, I'll do something about your Flame Alchemy, Mustang." The man known as Noparo quietly stated, ignoring Mustang's order and throwing a paper missile, which was visibly larger than the others, into the ceiling and breaking a hole in a water pipe which cause it to start pouring water down on Mustang. The Führer clapped his hands together and was about to slam his palms into the ground, when the blonde woman swept his feet out from underneath him and pulled out a gun in a single fluid motion, before firing a bullet into Noparo's head, causing him to collapse and die. I slowly got up, leaving the two swords on the floor, which was now soaked with water and so was I. I stumbled over to the wall I'd transmuted in the middle of the hallway and using it for support I stuck my head around the corner. I was able to catch a bolt of electricity flying from Cynthia's hand, and from water droplet to water droplet that fell from the ceiling, before striking Noparo's accomplice making him to collapse on the wet floor. From the distance I was from him, I could tell that his clothes were scorched as though he were struck by lightning. I clapped my hands together and put the wall back into the floor, where it belongs. Most of the hallway was a mess from the fight, but I managed to lean up against a part of the wall, which despite being in the midst of the destruction, was somewhat unharmed.

"You okay?" Cynthia asked, placing a hand on my head. She hadn't suffered so much as a scratch from her opponent.

"Yeah," I took a deep breath, which brought pain to my chest. "That guy kicks like a champ." I stated with a small laugh, earning myself more pain. I saw Mustang and the woman inspect the circle that Noparo had been trying to activate, before they made their way over to me.

"I thought I ordered you to out of the building." He stated.

"Well, the gunshot brought me back. Then I found a transmutation circle under a loose floorboard and that's how I found my way here." I replied. Mustang exchanged glances with the woman next to him. She appeared around the same age as Mustang, and had a muscular build that seemed to be common among Amestrian soldiers. She had blonde hair, which was fastened with a barrette to resemble the tail of a bird and brown eyes. She wore a soldier's uniform, which was decorated with a multitude of medals.

"A transmutation circle? What did it look like?" He asked. I grabbed one of the many pieces of paper scattered about the floor, and using a pen lent to me by the Führer, I drew what I saw of the circle using the wall to avoid tearing the paper. My chest pain irritated me, during this process but I managed. He took the finished image from me. "Are you sure this is what you saw?" he asked, inspecting the image.

"Yes sir, that's how it looked before I wiped away the ink." I replied. "I can't say what it does, but I think there's were more."

"I'll get on that. For now, I'm ordering you to leave the building; I'm going to speak with you later. Where are you staying at the moment?" He asked.

"With her." I replied, pointing my thumb at the Lieutenant next to me. He raised an eyebrow at this answer. "She's a friend of the family." I specified.

"That simplifies things, I'll just contact her. Lieutenant, escort him from the building." He commanded, causing the normally carefree Cynthia to stand at attention and salute. Cynthia went and grabbed my puppet from its collapsed state on the floor, before leading me out of the building. I managed to catch Felicia at the entrance of the building.

"Can we leave now? I've been waiting for a while now." The homunculus requested.

"How did you get away from the guards?" I asked.

"I knocked them out. It's easy when they'd never expect it." She proudly replied. That is what I would expect from her. "So what about you? You didn't do anything overly stupid, did you?" She asked.

"Have some trust in me. It worked out, more or less." I replied, coughing between the sentences.

"What does that mean?" She questioned, obviously suspicious of my response.

"He means that the Führer is going to want to question him about what occurred today. Since it appears that he dragged you into it, you may be questioned as well." Cynthia answered for me. I could feel Felicia glare at me intensely, but she didn't respond. I'm probably going to get an earful about this when Cynthia's not around. "So what exactly is this, anyways?" Cynthia asked after a long silence.

"It's a puppet; I can show you how it works later." I spoke, before coughing some more.

"Are you okay?" Cynthia asked, placing a hand on my back.

"Yeah…" I quietly replied, "Just feeling the effects of that guy's kick. Hopefully, it won't last much longer."

* * *

_-Führer Mustang's Perspective-_

I inspected the paper that that boy drew that circle on. It confirmed my worst fear; it was part of the transmutation circle designed to create a Philosopher's Stone. "Riza," I spoke, getting the attention of the woman next to me. "From what we've seen here, it's reasonable to say that Noparo and Efrain Hazuko are members of the Anti-Establishment Movement. So how is it that they've gotten their hands on _this_ information?" I asked the former Lieutenant, showing her the image.

"I don't know sir, but it was obvious that they intended to make use of this knowledge." Hawkeye responded, in her normal businesslike tone.

"Hawkeye, I want you to begin compiling information on anybody who has the means to use this knowledge. We got lucky today, assuming these two knew what they were about to do, we dodged a bullet. I also want you to look into Yamato Kokaonüsse as well."

"Sir?"

"You saw his alchemy right. It's far too close to the events that transpired to be just a coincidence." I clarified.

"Yes sir!" She replied, before leaving for the records office. Now that just leaves me with the task of getting a crew to clean up the battlefield of a hallway.


End file.
